1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a composition for topical use, containing an oxyethylenated acetylenic diol, and to its cosmetic use. Furthermore, the invention relates to removing make-up from and/or cleansing the skin, the hair and/or mucous membranes.
2. Discussion of the Background
A make-up-removing composition is expected to be able to remove all kinds of make-up products, e.g., lipstick, powder, eye shadow, foundation, etc., without damaging the skin, and leaving the skin clean and soft. Many make-up-removing products have aqueous bases, e.g., aqueous, aqueous-alcoholic, aqueous-glycolic lotions, and transparent aqueous gels. The products contain dissolved surfactants that facilitate make-up removal by placing the make-up products in suspension. These surfactants should have good make-up removing efficacy, good skin tolerability, and they should provide good stability to the composition containing them.
A surfactant which is effective for cleansing or removing make-up, such as a anionic surfactant, is usually tolerated poorly by the skin. In contrast, a mild surfactant, such as a nonionic surfactant, often has an insufficient detergent activity. Regarding the nonionic surfactants, better make-up-removing efficacy can be obtained by increasing the amount of the surfactant in the composition. However, increasing the amount of the surfactant may lead to stability problems, e.g., recrystallization, coloration, and poor fastness with respect to light and temperature.
Therefore, a need remains for a relatively non-irritant and nonionic surfactant that has good make-up-removing properties at low concentrations.
The document U.S. Pat. No. 3,268,593 describes the use of oxyethylenated acetylenic diols as surfactants and detergents. However, the quantity of these diols that are required to be effective is unsatisfactorily high and thus can lead to poor tolerability by the skin.